What's the point with that quite lackluster story in Endwalker?

[Theodric]

I'm fairly easy to please. All I really want is for my character to be an adventurer again and for the story to avoid having literally every other quest involve the terms 'hope', 'a brighter tomorrow' and 'oppression'. Interacting with more characters who have a distinct personality and don't exist to constantly agree with each other on pretty much every front would be neat, too.

Whenever I look back at the cast of pretty much any other JRPG, the main cast are a lot more distinct. Many previous Final Fantasy games had playable characters who teamed up for the sake of a mutual cause but didn't necessarily get on well for much of the game. Steiner and Zidane in FFIX as well as Basch and Vaan in FFXII spring to mind. To say nothing of scenarios where relations between characters started off positive only to sour later on in the game as was the case with Gladio and Noctis from FFXV.

[Seiori]

I have mixed feelings about Endwalker so far. I haven't read OP's post cus i didn't want to be spoiled but...so far im giving it a 6/10
The garlean segment was very interesting, wasn't expecting them to include a suicide scene in this game. I really liked seeing this Jullus character.. Kinda upset we have the castle in the background of the map and can't go in.
Right after slaying zodiark, the world is supposed to be ending due to an aether disruption and we are playing dressup with the AI bunnies on the moon. Hmmmmmmmmmm..........

If I had to guess as to why those odd scenes with the bunnies and the scion fanfare moments during the dire events, think about the character Puck from Berserk, he is used mostly tool to deescalate darker tones of the story from constantly going thus breaking the tension to reset the mood. That is what they were trying to do lol

[aveyond-dreams]

I'm fairly easy to please. All I really want is for my character to be an adventurer again and for the story to avoid having literally every other quest involve the terms 'hope', 'a brighter tomorrow' and 'oppression'. Interacting with more characters who have a distinct personality and don't exist to constantly agree with each other on pretty much every front would be neat, too.

Whenever I look back at the cast of pretty much any other JRPG, the main cast are a lot more distinct. Many previous Final Fantasy games had playable characters who teamed up for the sake of a mutual cause but didn't necessarily get on well for much of the game. Steiner and Zidane in FFIX as well as Basch and Vaan in FFXII spring to mind. To say nothing of scenarios where relations between characters started off positive only to sour later on in the game as was the case with Gladio and Noctis from FFXV.

I agree with the above statement, compared to previous parties in FF games the one we were stuck with for the past 8 years in FFXIV is a considerable downgrade. In the concept for 7.0 I made in another thread, I kept only vestiges as the scions around to have people to fill out 8-man trial parties for the msq and because I wanted to keep Estinien. Otherwise I would not have included any mention of G'raha or the twins.

Given the popularity surrounding the three main ancients-none of which are perfect/can be liked for different reasons-I feel it would be a terrible waste to not capitalize on that by introducing if not spiritual successors that call back to them, at least characters that are as interactive as they were. A snarky mage who bickers with the muscle of the party. A hopelessly weak bard who has to be rescued due to him being prone to getting into troublesome situations. A healer scarred by her previous traumas who like us wants to just go for an adventure.

As for a villain, I'd much rather go after an evil king/emperor and end up putting the good guys on the throne in their place as opposed to black robed mages "pondering the meaning of life." Someone along the lines of Queen Brahne or Emperor Mateus, for example. They want power, they don't care from where, and they're going to use it against whoever is unlucky enough to stand in their way. In the case of my concept, King Matthias is a man who puts on the face of Count Fortemps one second and the next is revealed to be an abusive tyrant whose daughters are both traumatized by his behavior towards them while his son's experiences in the war have slowly damaged his mind to the point where he butchers a baby dragon without remorse.

Compliment that with an FFIX or Dragon Age like cast, and who knows maybe FFXIV players will start liking their own party members just as much as we've grown attached to Emet-Selch and other villains, because goodness knows there's not much to go off of in making a case for Thancred or Y'shtola anymore (who I've sent off on their own adventure to give us all a break from their presence). If those two are in the main party again in 7.0 and they fail to send us into a high fantasy enviroment in favor of FFXIV: African Safari/Austrailian Adventures/New World Indiana Jones then forgive me if I say that there is no way you could sell that to the core Final Fantasy playerbase. While making use of Meracydia and the New World to establish a Mist Continent-like scenario or returning former Garlean territories to monarchies, duchies, etc, would be the ideal solution, if there is no more space left on the source then by all means beam me to another shard-and leave the scions behind.

[Lauront]

It'd be a nice change in pace. I wouldn't mind a potential return to an ancient AU at some point, as I enjoy the ancients, but in terms of a new plot and story direction all the above does sound very intriguing.

[Rulakir]

I was all for Zenos joining the WoL at the end of EW and I didn't even like him before then. :P Any sort of different dynamic than everyone liking each other, agreeing on everything, etc. Even Fordola could've been interesting. I'm blanking on any series I've enjoyed where everyone started off as friends and consistently get along all the time.

Yoshi-P has already said that the next conflict will be over values, which doesn't inspire much confidence in me after EW.

[Kozh]

The only scion interaction I enjoy in EW is the bros/dudes squad; which is thancred, urianger, and estinien (it's also plus if your WoL is male too). Thancred and urianger already got the "good friends" dynamics, and estinien is the "awkward guy". I also like how out of everyone, both thancred and estinien are the more pragmatic and realistic, which is way more interesting than idealistic one like g'raha and the twins (though at least alphinaud is better than alisae in this regard).

*hmm, I think y'sthola is supposed to be pragmatic too, but honestly she's too bland and I don't really get the whole "pragmatic" vibe from her.

I think the start of thavnair is the only time I genuinely amused by the comedy. Feels natural.

[myahele]

I think the start of thavnair is the only time I genuinely amused by the comedy. Feels natural.

I think it helps that it wasn't such a huge tonal shift compared to the other times humour was used in EW.

Yoshi-P has already said that the next conflict will be over values, which doesn't inspire much confidence in me after EW.

Same here. I sure WoL and the Scions values will win out in the end.

[Skyborne]

I was all for Zenos joining the WoL at the end of EW and I didn't even like him before then. :P Any sort of different dynamic than everyone liking each other, agreeing on everything, etc. Even Fordola could've been interesting. I'm blanking on any series I've enjoyed where everyone started off as friends and consistently get along all the time.

Yoshi-P has already said that the next conflict will be over values, which doesn't inspire much confidence in me after EW.

If we swapped in Fordola for Y'shtola the story would've improved sevenfold just in entertainment value. Our queen, slapping the twins back to reality and also chewing out Hydaelyn for her 'mankind must walk' nonsense [flashback to Arenvald in the chair]. She has actually suffered, too. Would've been interesting to see how she would react to Ultima Thule.

[aveyond-dreams]

If we swapped in Fordola for Y'shtola the story would've improved sevenfold just in entertainment value. Our queen, slapping the twins back to reality and also chewing out Hydaelyn for her 'mankind must walk' nonsense [flashback to Arenvald in the chair]. She has actually suffered, too. Would've been interesting to see how she would react to Ultima Thule.

Agreed. I'll take a woman with an actual backbone and attitude over Y'shtola's lore ramblings anyday.

Yoshi-P has already said that the next conflict will be over values, which doesn't inspire much confidence in me after EW.

Can't wait to be told "monarchy is bad! democracy is the best!" all over again or to face another "I want to destroy the world because I am sad" stories all over again. At least if FFXVI turns out to be decent I can see myself spending a whole lot of time over in that fandom should the need arise for me to take a break from FFXIV if they take things in the wrong direction in 7.0.

[KizuyaKatogami]

I asked before but i’ll ask again because i never got an answer. Outside of Ultima Thule, what did Yshtola do of any substance this entire expansion. Can’t think of a damn thing outside of reading books.